The judge, Robert Owen, will hold a preliminary hearing in September to decide how the inquest will be conducted and whether it will be heard before a jury, Britain's Judicial Office said.

World Bulletin / News Desk

Britain appointed a senior judge on Thursday to conduct an inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian agent turned Kremlin critic whose murder in London in 2006, chilling relations between London and Moscow.

The judge, Robert Owen, will hold a preliminary hearing in September to decide how the inquest will be conducted and whether it will be heard before a jury, Britain's Judicial Office said.